Chapter 455: Differential Treatment
Zhang Yuntao smiled and got to his feet. “Then this old man shan’t stand on ceremony.”
He walked up and looked them over, one by one.
There were eighteen pieces of Spirit Source Ore in total. Each was dark, and despite their varying shapes, all of them emanated traces of spirituality.
Their presence acted as a barrier, preventing the divine sense from entering the ore.
Zhang Yuntao examined them for a while, but he couldn’t help but hesitate.
He didn’t particularly understand Spirit Source Ore, and he found it difficult to differentiate good from bad.
When he saw this, Zuo Xinghe smiled and approached, then subtly guided him. “Brother Zhang, when judging Spirit Source Ore, look first for luster, second for spirituality, and third, for whatever catches your eye. For instance, the ore you’re looking at now most likely isn’t ordinary.”
Zhang Yuntao’s heart stirred, and he laughed, “That so? I thought it rather pleasing to the eye as well. Let’s go with this one, then.”
As he spoke, he picked up the piece of Spirit Source Ore and exerted strength through his fingertips, carefully breaking its outer shell inch by inch.
Fragmented jade flew through the air, and in the blink of an eye, a glittering spirit jade fell into Zhang Yuntao’s palm/
It was only about the size of a thumb, yet it was clear, lustrous, and shiny as gold. It had a dazzling luster, and its aura was sharp and forceful. When the guests listened closely, they could hear the faint roaring of a tiger emanating from within it.
“Wondrous! That’s Goldenstripe Tiger Jade. You’re quite fortunate, Brother Zhang!” Zuo Xinghe exclaimed and clapped his hands.
A commotion instantly spread throughout the venue, and the Zuo Family higher-ups congratulated Zhang Yuntao one by one.
When Huo Yunsheng and company saw this, they couldn’t help but feel eager.
A thumb-sized piece of Goldenstripe Tiger Jade was worth about one hundred tier-six spirit stones, and it was a top-notch material for refining Spirit Dao talismans.
Zhang Yuntao was briefly stunned, but soon, he was visibly overcome with delight. “Brother Zuo, many thanks for your guidance!”
There was no way he’d fail to understand what had happened; it wasn’t that he was lucky, but rather, that Zuo Xinghe gave him pointers at just the right time!
Zuo Xinghe burst into laughter and waved dismissively. “Brother Zhang, don’t be so polite.”
When Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing saw this, they couldn’t help but feel stunned. A piece of Spirit Source Ore could actually contain such a spiritual object? This really broadened their horizons.
Su Yi sipped a cup of wine, but he wasn’t paying much attention.
Zuo Xinghe had obviously arranged this in advance. They’d surely chosen those Spirit Source Ores after a careful selection process; there was no way they’d disappoint their guests.
“Xinzhao, you try too.” Zhang Yuntao smiled and invited her.
Wen Xinzhao promptly rose. As soon as the peerlessly beautiful Little Sword Demon made her entrance, all eyes were upon her.
Even the Zuo Family higher-ups couldn’t help but look amazed.
Zuo Xinghe smiled amiably and said, “Miss Wen, in this old man’s opinion, that Spirit Source Ore seems connected to you by fate.”
As he spoke, he gestured to another piece of ore.
However, Wen Xinzhao shook her head. “Senior Zuo, didn’t you say that selecting your own ore was the most exciting part of stone gambling? If other people choose for you, it’ll be boring even if you win a treasure.”
Zuo Xinghe’s smile froze, but before he could respond, Wen Xinzhao chose a different piece of ore.
After opening it, she discovered an inky-green “Bluecloud Inkjade.” It, too, was precious. However, it was somewhat inferior to the Goldenstripe Tiger Jade.
Even so, Zuo Xinghe and the other family higher-ups smiled and exclaimed, giving Wen Xinzhao a thorough show of respect.
Wen Xinzhao merely smiled in response, then returned to her seat.
Huo Yunsheng, Ren Youyou, Sun Feng, and Qian Tianlong each took their turns selecting a piece of Spirit Source Ore.
Perhaps in light of what Wen Xinzhao had just said, all of them politely refused Zuo Xinghe’s guidance and chose their ore on their own.
When Zuo Xinghe saw this, he could only caution them that more than half of the remaining ores were most likely empty.
Huo Yunsheng laughed heartily, “Senior Zuo, you’re quite considerate, but I’ve always been rather lucky. Even if I fail to obtain anything, there’s no way I’d accuse you of failing to look out for me.”
Zuo Xinghe smiled. “I can see you’re quite confident. That’s good; you ought to have that kind of courage when gambling.”
Huo Yunsheng then stepped up and, before long, selected a piece of Spirit Source Jade. He opened it, but it was completely empty.
He was instantly dumbstruck.?He’d only just bragged about his good look, only to select a blank. How could he bear this?
The crowd’s expressions turned a bit strange.
Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing found it difficult to suppress their laughter.
Zuo Xinghe had already prepared a long list of compliments, but when he saw that Huo Yunsheng just?had?to go and choose one of the empty ores, he couldn’t flatter his guest even if he wanted to.
“Young Lord Huo, how about… You choose another?” Zuo Xinghe smiled.
Huo Yunsheng waved. “It seems my luck is rather poor today. I’d best skip it.”
He worried he’d select another empty one; if he did, that would be far too embarrassing.
When they saw this, Qian Tianlong, Sun Feng, and Ren Youyou couldn’t help but regret their earlier decision. If they’d known some of the Spirit Source Ores were empty, how could they possibly have refused Zuo Xinghe’s guidance?
Alas, it was too late to change their minds.
Qian Tianlong and Sun Feng both opened empty ores, and both turned and left feeling extremely awkward.
Ren Youyou cleverly selected the ore Zuo Xinghe had initially suggested to Wen Xinzhao. When she opened it, she saw a piece of extremely rare Crimson Jade Spirit Crystal, instantly throwing the entire venue into uproar.
Everyone could tell that its value was comparable to the Goldenstripe Tiger Jade, or perhaps greater.
However, Ren Youyou couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it. After all, she hadn’t won it through her own abilities. Instead, she’d effectively taken advantage of Wen Xinzhao.
“It’s my turn! I want that one!” Qing Ya giggled, walked up, and directly selected a piece Spirit Source Ore.
When she opened it, she discovered a piece of rare Goldensilk Firecloud Jade. It was far more precious than the spirit jades discovered before!
Even Zuo Xinghe couldn’t help but feel surprised. He exclaimed, “Miss Qing Ya, you sure are lucky!”
The Zuo Family higher-ups were a bit stunned; this took them by surprise too.
Although they’d carefully selected these ores in advance, with their eyesight and experience, they could only roughly deduce which of them contained treasures and which were blank.
As for what exactly the treasures were? Not even they could deduce that.
When Qing Ya cut away the ore to reveal Goldensilk Firecloud Jade, even the Zuo Family higher-ups felt their hearts ache. That was a rare treasure!
When Zhang Yuntao, Huo Yunsheng, and the others saw this, they couldn’t help but sigh.?Qing Ya’s luck really is incredible!
The Cloudsky Divine Palace members had all taken their turns, but it seemed that the Zuo Family had forgotten that Su Yi and his companions had yet to select their Spirit Source Ores.
Zhang Yuntao, Huo Yunsheng, and the others noticed this, but they pretended not to.
Only Wen Xinzhao’s painted eyebrows knit together, and her clear eyes glanced at Su Yi. “Brother Su, it’s your turn.”
She’d long since noticed that the Zuo clansmen thought poorly of Su Yi and his companions, but she didn’t feel comfortable saying anything.
After all, they were here as guests.
However, when she saw them directly ignore Su Yi and the two yao cultivators, she couldn’t help but feel a bit angry.
When differential treatment was so blatant, it made people uncomfortable.
When he saw Wen Xinzhao speak up, Zuo Xinghe was stunned; it seemed he wouldn’t have expected Wen Xinzhao to concern herself with the likes of Su Yi.
However, he’d experienced more than his share of waves, so he promptly touched his forehead as if he were ashamed. “It seems I let Miss Qing Ya’s magnificent feat dazzle me, and that as a result, I inadvertently neglected the rest of you.”
He then smiled and invited Su Yi over. “Young Lord Su, if you please!”
He had to give Wen Xinzhao face.
“In that case, thank you so much.” Su Yi rose and, beneath the crowd’s gaze, walked up to the Spirit Source Ores.
Zuo Xinghe smiled and said nothing; it was obvious that he didn’t plan to guide Su Yi in any way. His attitude was unquestionably colder than when he helped Huo Yunsheng, Zhang Yuntao, and the others.
But it was as if Su Yi didn’t even notice. His gaze swept across the ores, and he immediately chose one of them.
Zuo Xinghe revealed a hint of a relaxed smile. With his eyesight and experience, he’d long since deduced that that Spirit Source Ore was blank!
The other Zuo Family higher-ups’ expressions turned playful and inquisitive too.
The way they saw it, with the Zuo Family’s wealth, they really didn’t need these Spirit Source Ores. They could offer every last one to Cloudsky Divine Palace without so much as a frown.
But giving them to a nobody like Su Yi? They found that thought rather displeasing.
Of course they were happy to see that he’d chosen one of the rejects!
It seems this guy selected an empty one too…?Huo Yunsheng keenly picked up on the subtle shifts in the Zuo Family higher-ups’ expressions, and he couldn’t help but revel in Su Yi’s misfortune.
“Big Brother Su Yi, hurry and cut it open. Let’s see what’s inside!” urged Qing Ya.
Wen Xinnzhao and Yuan Heng were beside themselves with anticipation.
They naturally hadn’t forgotten the way Su Yi used his extraordinary eyesight to recognize and obtain a piece of Void Swallowing Spirit Beast hide at the Spiritbend Assembly!
“No rush,” laughed Su Yi. He glanced at Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing, then said, “How about I chose pieces of ore for you as well?”
Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing naturally wouldn’t object. They straightforwardly agreed.
Zuo Xinghe’s expression went slightly rigid, and he was inwardly a bit enraged.?This punk… He sure isn’t acting like an outsider. Is he seizing this opportunity to squeeze as much out of us as he can?
The other Zuo Family members frowned too.?This kid’s table manners are a bit too unsightly, aren’t they?
The atmosphere was instantly stifled.
Wen Xinzhao asked, “Senior Zuo, you don’t think Young Lord Su’s offer is inappropriate, do you?”
Zuo Xinghe instantly laughed. “It’s just a few Spirit Source Ores. Since our Young Friend Su made this request, how could I possibly deny it?”
He sounded valiant and generous, and indeed, the Green Fields Zuo Family built their wealth and reputation on spirit jade veins. They were the top clan in the Jade Bottle Province, and they were wealthy and overbearing. They wouldn’t miss a few pieces of Spirit Source Ore.
“Those two pieces, then.” As he spoke, Su Yi selected two more pieces of Spirit Source Ore.
Zuo Xinghe’s brow furrowed, and his eyes flashed. The Zuo Family higher-ups’ expressions darkened.
They could tell at a glance that both of the ores Su Yi had just selected contained spirit jade!
Huo Yunsheng had been keeping tabs on their expression all the while. He couldn’t help but feel surprised.?Don’t tell me that guy had the dogshit good luck to select two treasures at random?
The crowd’s appetites had been whetted, and all eyes were on Su Yi.
Crunch!
Su Yi first opened the Spirit Source Ore he’d selected for Yuan Heng.
Scarlet light arced like a rainbow, with misty, glittering radiance.
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